Spotlight on our band of the month: Heckel & Jeckel

For the release of their new album, the band Heckel & Jeckel turned to Distrolution Merch for the design of their vinyl records and CDs. To learn more about the band's latest news, we invite you to check out our interview below!

Hi, Heckel & Jeckel! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Can you quickly introduce your band to our readers?
Hi! We've been a masked guitar / drums / vocals duo since 2018.
HECKEL & JECKEL are two nasty crows that scream and make a lot of noise, like in the cartoon we used to watch when we were little. While Heckel yells like crazy and does stoner guitar flights, Jeckel hits her drums, cymbals, and other derivatives like mad to set this heavy and tribal atmosphere. Rather inspired by 90's bands from IPECAC like MELVINS or NIRVANA... We evolve in a rather dark universe, with very personal, denunciatory, and unapologetic lyrics.

How do you manage your band in such a unique context (global pandemic, lockdown, no concerts...)?
It's this particular context that makes us push ourselves even more to denounce mediocrity, ridicule, and the omnipotence of absurdity in the face of common sense.

You've unveiled your album, "This is War !!" Can you tell us a few words about this album? How long did you work on it, and what is your usual writing process like?
"This is War !!" is Heckel & Jeckel's second official album. We have an absolutely rigorous work ethic: Musically, it's first take, and for the lyrics, we're on the verge of intuitive writing. Everything is quite spontaneous! In a sanitized, computerized, vocoderized era, we advocate for live takes and imperfections to make room for energy and emotion. As a result, this album was composed, recorded, and produced in 2020, all DIY.

Can we talk about the artwork for your EP? What does it represent?
For the album artwork, we enlisted a local artist/illustrator who has been following us since the beginning and quickly understood our universe. We really see ourselves in his sketches, which blend watercolor drawing, real-life shots, and digital montage/collage.

It represents our two crows left to their own devices in a post-apocalyptic world where everything needs to be rebuilt, reinvented...

Let's talk about merch. You've worked with us for the design of your vinyl records and CDs. Can you talk about your experience with Distrolution Merch?

For this self-produced album, with the help of P.O.G.O. Records (in Belgium) and FORBIDDEN PLACE RECORDS (in the USA), we took the step of releasing the first vinyl of our lives!
DISTROLUTION MERCH offered the ideal solution with the CD/LP pack delivered in record time. Extremely satisfied with the quality of service!

In general, is there a specific merch item that you consider particularly important? If so, which one?

This vinyl record is very important to us, as big vinyl consumers at home, it's both a personal and professional achievement.

To wrap up this interview, can we talk about your future projects?
We're already working on recording a seventh EP!! About fifteen minutes of somewhat experimental / tribal music, featuring a kind of Basque Mike Patton. The adventure of the noisy corvids is really just beginning!!